Department for Transport

Ryde Pier Head Station: Tickets

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that South West Trains provide passengers with the ability to buy all types of train tickets from Ryde Pierhead station.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Ryde Pierhead station is not subject to Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Services Agreement and ticketing provision remains a matter for South Western Railway. Rail ticketing for Ryde Pierhead station is currently carried out by South Western Railway through their partnership with WightLink, with a range of tickets available to passengers. My officials are working closely with South Western Railway to ensure that passengers travelling from stations on the Isle of Wight have access to a range of fare types.

Ferries: Solent

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they have made tothe three cross-Solent ferry operators, to ensure that Isle of Wight residents travelling for NHS treatment on the mainland are able to book ferry travel at relevant and convenient times.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they hold on the (1) frequency, (2) cost, and (3) reliability, of cross-Solent ferry services for each of the last five years.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport, alongside the Isle of Wight Council, monitors the performance of the cross-Solent ferry operators. The operators frequently publish their own data on reliability of their services, which the Department reviews. The frequency and cost of their services can also be seen from their publicly accessible timetables.The Department’s analysis has consistently found that the three cross-Solent operators offer a good range of services at effective prices, including for those travelling for NHS treatments on the mainland. During the pandemic, a key reason behind the Department providing financial support to safeguard lifeline services was to ensure that residents could continue to travel for mainland NHS treatment. An example of effective services for those needing urgent medical treatment on the mainland can be found with Hovertravel’s rapid NHS transfer. This service, established during the lifeline support scheme alongside the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service and the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, continues to support those needing medical care on the Mainland.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation: Hydrogen

Lord Haworth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reform the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to stimulate investment in hydrogen production.

Lord Haworth: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to make a decision onwhether to extendthe Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to cover hydrogen produced from nuclear energy.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Further to a public consultation earlier this year, we have introduced legislation which would expand support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) to renewable hydrogen used in fuel cell rail and non-road transports, and in maritime vessels. To further stimulate investment in renewable hydrogen production, we also proposed in the consultation to reward renewable hydrogen more flexibly under the RTFO. A Government Response on proposals to improve flexibility will be published very soon. The Department has no current plans to extend the RTFO scheme to cover hydrogen produced from nuclear energy.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a cost-benefit analysis was undertaken for (1) the Eastern leg of HS2, and (2) HS2 Phase 2B West, prior to their decision to cancel those rail projects; and whether they will publish the financial analysis which was undertaken prior that decision.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government has not cancelled either the Western Leg or Eastern Leg of HS2 Phase 2b. The Integrated Rail Plan sets out that HS2 will be built from Crewe to Manchester, and from the West Midlands to East Midlands Parkway. In addition, £100m has been provided to include work on looking at the best way to take HS2 trains to Leeds The Government will publish an updated Strategic Outline Business Case for Phase 2b Western Leg alongside the deposit of the Western Leg hybrid bill in early 2022.

Railways: Scotland

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Integrated Rail Plan on rail journey times to Scotland.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The core pipeline set out in the Integrated Rail Plan, which includes completing HS2 Phases One and 2a and completing HS2 Phase 2b from Crewe to Manchester, including the link to the West Coast Main Line, will help reduce journey times between England and Scotland. Birmingham and London to Glasgow and Edinburgh could be cut by between 40 and 50 minutes compared to today. In addition, the package of upgrades to the East Coast Main Line will separately improve journey times for services to Edinburgh from London King’s Cross. Journey times could be cut by 25 minutes compared to today depending on stopping patterns. The recent Union Connectivity Review also considered the reduction of rail journey times to Scotland.

Railways: Tree Felling

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what policy Network Rail follows for the felling of trees alongside railway lines; what assessment they have made of the carbon impact of this policy; and what policy they have on replacing felled trees.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Network Rail published its Biodiversity Action Plan in December 2020, committing to achieve biodiversity net gain by 2035, and setting out how it will manage lineside vegetation sustainably for safety, performance, the environment, and its customers and neighbours. Network Rail must balance these objectives to run a safe and reliable rail network whilst also supporting and enhancing lineside biodiversity. In some places it will be necessary to remove trees and other habitats that are not compatible with railway operations, but in other places Network Rail will establish habitats through planting and sustainable management. Following recent surveys and inspections of the estate, Network Rail is developing vegetation and habitat management plans to ensure any necessary vegetation management takes place at the best time of year. Network Rail is also developing a sustainable land use strategic framework which will consider aspects including carbon impacts to support net zero 2050.Network Rail manages a vast estate, with an estimated six million trees, and approximately 23% woodland coverage, substantially higher than the average woodland coverage across Britain. In 2019, Network Rail pledged £1m to plant trees in communities across England over a four-year period with over 90,000 planted in the first planting season. Network Rail is also working with the Forestry Commission on a feasibility study for tree planting on land neighbouring the railway.

Great British Railways

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of the Great British Railways programme when it comes into effect.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Rail reform will deliver significant efficiency savings for government and the taxpayer in the long term. Benefits for passengers include:Improved services with tough new contracts focused on getting the trains running punctually and reliably;Improved ticketing options, providing commuters with significant savings;Modern digital payment methods; andImproved accessibility getting around stations and on and off trains.The rail reform programme is expected to generate savings of approximately £1.5bn per year, five years post implementation. This is equivalent to 15% of the network’s pre-pandemic income.

Network Rail: Cost Effectiveness

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial (1) efficiencies, and (2) inefficiencies, of Network Rail.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (the ORR), ensures that Network Rail’s plans include challenging but deliverable efficiency targets. This is a central part of securing Network Rail’s funding through the Periodic Review process for each Control Period.The ORR continuously monitors Network Rail’s delivery of efficiencies against its efficiency plans throughout each Control Period and publishes an annual assessment of Network Rail’s efficiency and financial performance, the most recent of which was published in July 2021 and can be found on the ORR’s website.

Railways: Commuters

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent change in the number of (1) rail commuters, compared to (2) leisure travel passengers; and what steps they taking to increase the number of rail commuters.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Rail was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in November 2021, rail journey numbers had recovered to approximately 70% levels of an equivalent day in the previous year.The Department publish National Statistics on rail journeys by purpose (including commuting, business, and leisure) in the National Travel Survey. The latest data is for calendar year 2020 and show a fall in the proportion of all journeys which are for commuting (summarised in the table below). The data shows that commuting traffic has been slower to recover than leisure demand. Table 1: Given journey purpose as a percentage of all rail journeys, and number of trips made per person per year by purpose, in England. YearCommuters as a percentage of rail usersCommuting trips per person per yearLeisure trip users as a percentage of rail usersLeisure trips per person per year201747%1025%5201847%1026%6201947%1026%6202037%427%3Source: (Table NTS0409). Transport Focus publishes results of a survey which includes breakdowns of rail journeys by purpose throughout 2021. This survey estimates that throughout November 2021, the proportion of rail journeys that are for commuting are approximately one-third. It should be noted that the sample-size is relatively small at circa 480 per week.The government is working with the rail industry to develop a number of recovery initiatives, focused on restoring passenger confidence in travelling by rail including for commuting journeys. Including introducing flexible season tickets across England this year, tickets launched on the 21 June and became available for use on the 28 June. This is a national product, priced to provide better value and convenience for commuters travelling two to three days a week.

Public Transport

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial implications for public transport providers from the reduction in commuters using public transport due to the increase in home working; and what assessment have they made of the implications for the future of public transport.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: During the pandemic £14bn of financial support has been provided to the rail sector, while £1.5bn in emergency funding was provided to bus operators and Local Transport Authorities through the Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant (CBSSG), which was in operation between March 2020 and August 2021. CBSSG helped ensure services remained available for those who needed them most.We also acknowledge the need to respond to new ways of working post-pandemic. That’s why we have introduced flexible season tickets across the rail network in England this year. This is a national product, priced to provide better value and convenience for commuters travelling two to three days a week. We are working with the rail industry to develop a number of recovery initiatives, focused on restoring passenger confidence in travelling by rail.Whilst a significant proportion of bus passengers have returned after restrictions were lifted, recognising the financial challenges faced by the sector during this transitional period, the government is providing an additional £226.5m in funding to the sector through the Bus Recovery Grant. This will help operators to continue to run a high level of service, maintain networks and attract passengers back on board.

River Fords

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many river fords are on British roads; what records are kept about the location and numbers of river fords; and which authorities keep any such records.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department does not routinely collect this information. Any information that is held on fords on the local road network will be held by the relevant local authority.

Railways: Fares

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact reducing rail fares would have on passenger numbers.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department takes guidance from the Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook on the effects of changes to fares on rail demand.While fares changes do impact total passenger numbers, there are also a number of other elements involved, including most notably at the moment the pandemic’s impact on passenger travel.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether National Highways’ management of Historical Railways estate structures is in accordance with the best practice principles set out in the Conservation of Highways Structures standard; and what assessment they have made of the environmental impacts of infilling when selecting the preferred asset management option for each structure.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Conservation of Highways Structures standard applies to listed or designated heritage assets.Although this standard does not apply to much of the Historical Railways Estate, National Highways does manage the structures in accordance with the best practice principles set out in the standard.National Highways is conducting heritage assessments on each of the Historical Railways Estate structures.Management of the Estate is kept under constant review and there is an independent quarterly audit. National Highways undertakes repairs to hundreds of structures every year including works to listed structures. Infilling and demolition is a very small proportion (less than 5%) of the work that it does.National Highways considers environmental issues, relating to ecology and biodiversity, when considering their asset management approach at any given structure. In many cases, National Highways will incorporate ecological features into the structure as part of the scheme e.g. bat hotels. National Highways removes invasive species and leave piles of clippings from trees and shrubs for use by mammals and reptiles.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many, if any, National Highways contracts were awarded between 21 September and 25 October for preparatory works at structures that the Stakeholder Advisory Forum had not yet considered for infilling; and why preparatory works were undertaken after the pause on such works had been imposed.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: National Highways does not award individual contracts as it has overarching framework contracts in place with call off arrangements.National Highways has not accepted prices on any preparatory works to specifically prepare for infilling activity between 21 September and 25 October .National Highways has accepted prices to provide access for ecologists to undertake bat surveys at 12 structures and for a site investigation to be undertaken.The pause has been applied to infill and demolition work. The only works that have occurred since have been to provide access for ecologists to undertake surveys or to remove vegetation.National Highways removes vegetation for preventative maintenance reasons. This is something that National Highways is doing across the Historical Railways Estate. Undertaking ecological surveys is not preparatory work for infilling or demolition, it is part of the National Highways’ regular routine asset management approach.

Ferries: Isles of Scilly and Solent

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what grants were made to each of the (1) cross-Solent ferry operators, and (2) Isles of Scilly operators, during the temporary suspension of competition law due to the COVID-19 pandemic; what restrictions, if any, were placed on the grants; and whether they were non-returnable.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial checks they made before awarding grants to each of the cross-Solent ferry operators during the temporary suspension of competition law due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: From April 2020 – April 2021 the Government made a series of grant payments to the Isle of Wight Council and Council of the Isles of Scilly to safeguard lifeline services. In total over £8 million of funding was provided to the Isle of Wight Council for the cross-Solent ferry operators and over £7.5 million to the Council of the Isles of Scilly for Isles of Scilly operators. These grants were paid to the local authorities for the provision of lifeline services, as set out within the conditions of the Memorandum of Understanding agreements made between the individual Councils and the Department for Transport. They were returnable under specific conditions being met.Before grant payments were provided to the Councils, the Department, alongside external financial advisors, undertook rigorous financial checks to ensure the levels of funding were appropriate. This included analysis of the operator’s financial reports, which included data on the revenue and costs of operating the agreed routes to the minimum service level. Throughout the duration of the scheme, regular checks and monitoring took place to ensure the continued need for support.

Attorney General

Arrests

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they give to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to the maximum time after an individual has been arrested on suspicion of an offence that they may be charged with that offence.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: There are a number of different legal provisions that provide a maximum period for the charging of a suspect in England and Wales, but those periods do not usually run from arrest and they only apply in certain cases. In other cases, there is no set time limit from arrest to charge but the courts do have the power to stop a case as an abuse of process if there has been such delay as to make it unfair that the proceedings should continue. The decision to charge is made by the police in some cases and by the CPS in other cases. The CPS make the decision to charge in serious cases but over the last five years the police have made the charging decision in 61% to 63% of the cases that are prosecuted by the CPS. The most significant time limit for the charging of criminal offences is contained in section 127 of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980. That provides that summary-only offences must be charged within six months of the offence (not arrest) unless there is any special provision made for that offence. Those special provisions are limited; some provide for longer periods for certain offences and some provide for periods that only start once evidence of an offence comes to light. There are also time limits contained within the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) that limit the time a suspect can be kept in custody after arrest. That can provide a time limit for the charging of cases when the police seek to charge and keep a suspect in custody for a court appearance. As a consequence of the time limits contained in PACE, decisions as to charge in those cases have to be made swiftly (the usual time limit is 24 hours, but more time can be available in some cases). For that reason, the CPS has prosecutors working 7 days a week, 24 hours a day to make charging decisions in those cases. In other cases, in which suspects are released with or without bail (also known as released under investigation) there is no general cross government guidance on a maximum period between arrest and charge. Timescales for charging decisions made by the police are a matter for policing. In cases in which the CPS make the charging decision, the CPS and the police have agreements in place that set a timetable that can change depending on the circumstances of each case. There will be cases in which the CPS cannot make a charging decision on the information provided and the case has to be referred back to the police for further investigation and a submission back to the CPS at a later date. The Code for Crown Prosecutors provides that decisions to prosecute should normally be made only when all outstanding reasonable lines of inquiry have been pursued or if the prosecutor is satisfied that any further evidence or material is unlikely to affect the decision to prosecute.

Ministry of Justice

Electronic Tagging: Children

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many 16 year olds have been required to wear an electronic tag.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Electronic Monitoring is an important tool that can improve supervision in the community and therefore support children to maintain family ties and remain in training, work or education with additional safeguards in place. From 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021, 1134 children aged 16 started an Electronically Monitored order.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Ethiopia: Monuments

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the desecration of the grave and memorial of the late Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zanawi, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa; and in particular, its implications for the (1) safety, and (2) security, of people in Ethiopia associated with him.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are concerned by reports of widespread human rights violations and abuses in Ethiopia committed by all sides to the conflict. Rhetoric and actions which inflame ethnic tensions serve only to perpetuate the conflict.The Foreign Secretary spoke to Deputy Prime Minister Demeke on 5 November. Our Ambassador in Addis Ababa spoke to Prime Minister Abiy on 28 October. The Minister for Africa spoke to Ethiopian State Minister Redwan on 18 November and the Ethiopian Minister of Justice, Gedion, on 6 December. In all of these meetings, we raised the UK's concerns about human rights and urged all parties to stop fighting and begin talks.

Nicaragua: Elections and Political Prisoners

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Ambassador of Nicaragua on (1) the reported flaws in the election of 7 November in that country, and (2) the conditions in which political prisoners are held.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Nicaraguan presidential election of 7 November was neither free nor fair. The authorities prevented the Nicaraguan people from making a democratic choice, using their powers to detain and threaten candidates. The arrests violated the guarantees in the Nicaraguan Constitution, and the UK calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all opposition leaders, and other political prisoners in Nicaragua, and for the full restoration of all their civil and political rights. We have raised our concerns with the Nicaraguan Government in London, and in Managua, and at multilateral fora. We have published a series of statements highlighting the UK's deep concern about the deterioration of political and human rights in Nicaragua and the subversion of democratic processes. We will continue to work closely with our partners to promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Nicaragua.

Developing Countries: Older People

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assess the effectiveness of their Official Development Assistance disbursement in meeting the (1) rights, and (2) needs, of older women and men; and whether their new International Development Strategy will include specific recognition of the (a) contributions, (b) rights, and (c) needs, of older women and men.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to protecting the human rights of all people at all stages of their lives. FCDO programmes consider the needs of older people, such as through our health systems strengthening and assistive technology activities alongside smaller more targeted projects, such as on social protection. In line with FCDO's commitment to the Inclusive Data Charter, we aim to disaggregate programme data by age, sex and disability where possible, to help us understand the effectiveness and impact of our work.The forthcoming International Development Strategy will establish an ambitious vision informed by the new global context, aligned with our strategic development goals and demonstrate how the UK plans to remain a global leader on development. The forthcoming refreshes of the Disability Inclusion Strategy and Strategic Vision for Gender Equality will retain a life cycle approach to deliver transformative change for all.

Ministry of Defence

3 Commando Brigade: Deployment

Lord Richards of Herstmonceux: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it will be possible for a fully formed and equipped 3 Commando Brigade to be embarked on shippingthat (1) is owned by, or is under the control of, Her Majesty's Government, or (2) that can be made available to Her Majesty's Government (a) whatever the intentional circumstances, and (b) without significant recourse to the United States assets.

Baroness Goldie: As set out in the Integrated Review, the Royal Marines are now in transition to the Future Commando Force (FCF). The FCF re-designs how Commando Forces operate and fight.Through one element of this, they will form two Littoral Response Groups (LRG) with associated enablers, including shipping. One LRG will be persistently deployed East of Suez, with an Initial Operating Capability in 2023.

Aircraft Carriers: Deployment

Lord Richards of Herstmonceux: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether both of the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers are fully operational and can be deployed simultaneously; and in the event of such deployments, how many aircraft would each ship carry.

Baroness Goldie: HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES are capable of deploying to protect and enhance the Nation's interests around the globe. The number of aircraft onboard each carrier will be tailored appropriately dependent upon the nature of the tasking. Both aircraft carriers are fully capable of operating a spectrum of Rotary Wing aircraft and Lightning F-35Bs.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food Supply

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their most recent assessment of the availability of food to meet demand over the Christmas season; and what discussions they have held with major supermarkets in relation to (1) current food availability, (2) any prior expectations of food shortages and how these have been revised.

Lord Benyon: The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response, and it is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. Defra has well established ways of working with industry, including major retailers, and across Government. These include regular meetings with industry and their representative bodies, and the department will continue to use these channels of communication to monitor and respond to any risks that may arise. As things stand, we do not expect substantive availability of food issues in the run up to Christmas.

Home Office

Arrests

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the longest time an individual has been under arrest on suspicion of an offence before being charged with that offence.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office does not collect data on the length of time individuals are under arrest before being charged with an offence.However, the Home Office collects and publishes Experimental Statistics on durations of pre-charge bail and released under investigation, albeit from a subset of forces. These data are published as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical collection (available on gov.uk).The published statistics include data on the duration individuals have been on pre-charge bail or released under investigation, as well as the outcome assigned to individuals on pre-charge bail and released under investigation.The year ending March 2021 is the first year that the Home Office has collected incident-level data for pre-charge bail and released under investigation, with almost all of the data requirement being collected on a voluntary basis. As such, not all forces have provided data, and the statistics are published as Experimental Statistics, which means that the quality of the data are still undergoing development. We are working with forces to make improvements for future publications.

Meta: Ofcom

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to give Ofcom emergency powers to investigate Facebook's encrypted messaging plans before they are introduced.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK Government supports the responsible use of encryption. It is critical to protecting UK citizens from harm online. But we are clear that companies such as Facebook – now Meta – should not implement end-to-end encryption unless they can do so in a way that would not reduce public safety. As the Home Secretary said at the G7 Security and Interior Ministers’ Meeting in September, tech companies and national governments must work together to protect the public. It is a vital point of principle that when tech firms are making decisions which affect public safety, representatives of democratically elected governments are closely involved. Under the Online Safety Bill, tech companies are going to be accountable to an independent regulator (Ofcom) to keep their users safe. It is right that the Online Safety Bill goes through the proper process of parliamentary scrutiny before Ofcom takes up their role as the online safety regulator. We do not intend to give Ofcom emergency powers before then.

Treasury

Financial Services

Baroness Hayman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment that have made of the size of the financial services market to which (1) the Financial Services Act 2021 applies, and (2) the climate change provisions of the Financial Services Act 2021 in (a) Schedule 2, section 143G(1)(c), and (b) Schedule 3, section 144C(1)(d) apply.

Baroness Hayman: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment that have made of the size of the financial services market (1) regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), (2) to which the remit, recommendations and priorities letters sent by HM Treasury to the FCA and PRA on 23 March 2021 apply, and (3) to which the provisions of the Financial Services Act 2021 apply with respect to the requirements on the FCA and PRA to have regard to the target in section 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates around 51,000 firms, of which around 1,500 are also regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). As set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the Bank of England Act 1998, the letters of recommendations issued by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the FCA and the Prudential Regulation Committee (PRC) apply to the advancement of the regulators’ objectives and the discharge of their duties. As such, where relevant and practical, the letters of recommendations apply to the FCA and PRA’s policymaking in all areas they regulate. The Financial Services Act 2021 introduced a number of different measures which are vital to enhance the UK’s world-leading prudential standards, promote financial stability, promote openness between the UK and international markets, and maintain an effective financial services regulatory framework and sound capital markets. The government’s assessment of the Financial Services Act 2021 was set out in the accompanying Impact Assessment. Under the Financial Services Act 2021, both the FCA and PRA must have regard to the UK’s net zero emissions target when making rules that introduce the Investment Firms Prudential Regime (IFPR) and implement the remaining Basel standards as contained in the Capital Requirements Regulation respectively. This provision applies to those rules made after 1 January 2022. As noted in the Impact Assessment for the Financial Services Act 2021, there are currently around 3,200 investment firms which fall under the IFPR. There are around 1,500 firms subject to the Capital Requirements Regulation.

Companies: Equality

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Agnew of Oulton on 15 November (HL3607), what discussions they have had with the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to its proposed requirement for companies to disclose annually whether they meet specific diversity targets as part of changes to its Listing Rules; and, in particular, whether the diversity targets will include targets in relation to biological sex.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: HM Treasury holds regular discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on a range of issues regarding the regulation of financial markets. The FCA’s consultation regarding diversity and inclusion targets for company boards and executive committees (CP21/24) closed on 20 October and the FCA is now analysing the responses. It will be for the FCA as the independent regulator to take forward any changes to their listings rules on this basis.

Money Laundering

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 25 November (HL Deb, cols 1002–03), what sanctions may be imposed, and by whom, on financial services organisations that breach Financial Conduct Authority Guidance on the treatment of UK Politically Exposed Persons, their families and known close associates.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Further to the answer of 25 November 2021 by Viscount Younger of Leckie, from April 2018, the Financial Ombudsman has had jurisdiction to consider complaints from Politically Exposed Persons about their treatment by banks, and since 2018, have received fewer than 10 complaints in this area. Where the Financial Ombudsman find that a bank has not followed regulations, best practice or acted in a fair and reasonable manner, the Financial Ombudsman will tell the bank to put the consumer in the position they would have been in had the bank’s error or wrongdoing not occurred. The Financial Ombudsman also has the power to order banks to pay for financial loss, distress or inconvenience depending on the experience of the consumer. However, the Financial Ombudsman does not apply sanctions or penalties on banks. The Financial Conduct Authority, as anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing supervisor for financial services firms in the UK, has the power to impose civil penalties (fines and censure statements) and prohibitions on management.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Football: Equality

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require all football clubs to have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion action plan to be assessed as part of the annual club licensing process.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Government welcomes the Independent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance and has endorsed in principle the primary recommendation of the review: that football requires a strong, independent regulator to secure the future of our national game.The Government will work quickly to review the report in full, including the recommendations made on equality, diversity and inclusion.The Government will continue to engage with interested parties as we work towards issuing a full response to the report in Spring 2022.

Public Telephones

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the removal of public telephone boxes; and what steps they will take to retain public telephone boxes in rural areas with poor mobile phone connectivity.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Government recognises the importance of public telephone boxes to people across the UK. The telephony Universal Service Order requires that certain providers maintain telephony services across the UK, including access to public telephone boxes.It is for Ofcom to designate the providers subject to this Order and set rules for public telephone boxes, including the rules regarding their removal. Ofcom estimates that there are 1500 public telephone boxes in areas with poor mobile coverage, many of which will be rural.Ofcom has recently announced a consultation designed to strengthen these rules. Ofcom’s proposals include a criterion that protects public telephone boxes where they do not have coverage from all four mobile network providers.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Catering and Retail Services (HL): Eggs

Earl Cathcart: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the House of Lords Catering and Retail Serviceshave been sourcing egg products from (1) Belgium, or (2) any other non-UK country; and what commitment they have, if any, to only sourcing eggs from British Lion producers.

Lord Touhig: The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The Catering and Retail Service (CRS) source pasteurised egg yolk and egg white products from Cocovite, which are manufactured in Belgium; however CRS are continually working with suppliers to find a British alternative.The Catering and Retail Service do however source free range whole eggs which are British Lion quality stamped.

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition

Baroness Noakes: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 30 November (HL Deb, col 1274), what is their interpretation of the term 'gender identity'.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Equality Act 2010 provides protection against discrimination and unfair treatment on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.My noble friend was of course speaking more generally rather than in relation to specific legal rights. We are committed to upholding Britain’s long-standing record of protecting the rights of individuals against discrimination. The UK Government is committed to promoting equality for LGBT people at home and abroad and we continue to be recognised as one of the top 10 countries in Europe for LGBT rights. We are also clear that we want people who are transgender to be able to live their lives as they wish.

Equality

Baroness Noakes: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Sharpe of Epsom 30 November (HL Deb, col 1274), whether the statement that "the UK is committed to the principle of non-discrimination on any grounds" is intended to encompass discrimination which goes beyond the protected characteristics set out in Part 2 of the Equality Act 2010; and if so, in what ways.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: My noble friend’s answer takes into account the distinction between behaviour that places someone unjustifiably at a disadvantage compared to others because of a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010, which is potentially unlawful; and similar behaviour that places someone at a disadvantage on other grounds such as socio-economic background.